Wed, Apr. 9th, 2008, 09:00 am Natty Dreadlocks and The Bear #96

"A cartoonist is a style of artist. Some artists are sculptures, photographers and painters. Some artists are expressionists, pointalists, abstract, modern, and etc. A cartoonist is a bit of a minimalist, usualy using line art to make iconic simplied pictures. A cartoonist can work in any medium, usually animation, single panel cartoons and often in comics.

The art of comics is a medium. Some may choose writing, theater, sound, film, canvas or clay. Scott McCloud defines comics: "com.ics (kom'iks) n. plural in form, used with a singular verb. 1. Juxtaposed pictoral and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer." Simply put, comics is the series of pictures to tell a story. It can be made by using cartooning or it can be painted, using photography or even be completely abstract. It could be drawn with the computer, with ink, pastels, watercolor, acrylic, collage, or even blood (if you really wanted to prove Fredric Wertham right).

Comic artists can be any style of art with any tool. Some use the title cartoonists, some use the title commercial artists, while other use the term graphic illustrator. It really does not matter what you call yourself, but if you draw series of pictures to tell a story, then you are an comic artist."

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If you want to use Scott McCloud's Big Triangle. You would probably fall near the bottom and in the middle of "resemblance" and "iconic". (Probably between Superman and Tin Tin there)

I'll gladly pull up a chair between Kal-L and Tin Tin at The Big Triangle table. I'd be happy to bus that table as well. I've always been partial to the term "comic artist" too. When I lived in Des Moines I used half of my studio (Google Darshan Studios COMIC ART Museum) as a public showcase for original art by everyone from Chester Brown to Ho Che Anderson and I always believed that they all deserved to hang on any museum wall not just my own. I don't think cartoonists should of had to wait for Roy Lichtenstein to swipe a panel for a painting before they gained the respect of the art world.

Not any that do the space justice. I sent the best photograph to Ho Che so he could see his pages framed and on the museum wall. He wrote me back and said that he had put the photo right next to his computer. The museum did get quite a bit of press though and we made the local news a few times too. It was awfully hard for me to move and give up the studio and the museum.

You need to write a detailed profile about yourself. People are just starting to get to know you here on livejournal, but it seems you have been part of the greater comic community for much longer.

How old are you?What is your published history?Have you ever worked with other artists?Have you ever worked professionally?What groups/organizations have you been a part of?When are you going to send me a comic to ink?

1. Too old. Let's just say most people my age have already made it.2. Every thing I've done has been self-published or for the free press.3. I could never afford to pay anyone to collaborate.4. I've been paid for a few illustrations and logos but never enough that I'd call myself a professional. 5. Only rock groups.6. See answer #3.

Bah, I ask honest questions and you give wimpy answers. I am 31 years old. I think that most people my age have made it into the industry, but oddly enough, how many people around my age are here on livejournal drawing comics and still dreaming? Will Eisner made his best work when he was in his 60's. Unless you are 90, you are not too old.

So what if you self published. Haven't we all? I was the editor of the Animania Magazine for about a year in '94-95, but only wrote not illustrated. Some paintings of my got into the college lit magazine, but none of my stories. I printed two mini's. One in '95 and one in '05. I had fan art published in HMM. I have a story I drew years ago that is going to be part of an anthology to be printed later this year. The rest of it is online either at my website or at Zwol.org. There, now you ...

Collaboration do not have to be about money. I have been part of comic jams. I have had artists draw my stories. I have illustrated stories by other writers. I did digital coloring for other people's stuff for a while I want to ink. But not once was there any money exchanged. Comics are my passion and love. If there is money, I probably am not good enough to get it yet. But that is why I need practice and experience.

I have done illustrations at my jobs, like when they need clip art of birds I just draw it myself. That counts, right? Logos are a bit different, but i have done those. Have you a design portfolio?

I was a part of Studio Otaku, a comic student group at UofM. I founded Michigan Comics Network and participated in Comic Awareness Week before there was some bad politics and I left.

I published two "Lost Toys" full size comic books in 1993, ten Zinc Comics digests since 2001 and somewhere between 50 and 100 mini comics since 1991. I've contributed comic strips to Free Fest Funnies, Sonic Tales, Spectrum, Snow Lion and Gallup Journey. I have also designed two C.D. covers and three cassettes. Additionally, I have written and performed both songs and poetry with acts that include The Mad Scientists Club and Asphalt Blue. In Denver, I produced,directed, and edited over eighty hours of public access television. I currently have two weekly web comics and a daily online comic journal. I have no design portfolio but "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."